Friday, October 21, 2016

Reshaping the Yankees Bullpen: Neftali Feliz

We’ve turned our focus from the big fish on the free agent
market, at least temporarily anyway, to some of the lower cost free agent
options for the New York Yankees. We’ve also decided to focus on an aspect of
the team that actually can be helped via free agency, the bullpen. We already
discussed bringing in the very underrated Brad Zeigler to the Bronx but if that
falls through what about a Plan B? What about Neftali Feliz?

Now I know what you’re thinking, “that guy stinks,” and yes
at one point recently he did but hear me out. Neftali Feliz was a great closer
for the Texas Rangers in 2010 and 2011 before injuries and ineffectiveness
derailed his career through the 2015 season. With the Rangers and the Detroit
Tigers during that span Feliz only appeared in 44 MLB games allowing a 6.48 ERA
and many other stats I could throw out there to show just how bad we all
already know he was. Feliz signed on with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2016 and he
seems to have found himself again which could work exactly into the Yankees
hands this winter as they try to build their bullpen back up.

Feliz looked much closer to the Felix in 2010 and 2011 than
he did in 2012-2015 last year posting a 3.52 ERA in 53.2 innings including a
return to dominance as a strikeout pitcher with 10.2 K/BB while with the
Pirates. All that is great but I would think it would take another season like
it in 2017 before Feliz would be in line for a multi-year deal leaving him
likely to sign another one-year deal for next season. Feliz, like Zeigler, could
be a stop gap for the Yankees prospects looking ahead to the 2018 season while
also giving the team a shot at competing in 2017 as well.

If Feliz wants reasonable money on a one-year deal and arms
like Zeigler, Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen and Mark Melancon are off the
board I have no issue with signing the former Rangers star. This is an arm to
keep an eye on Cash, bookmark this post.